Delivery Vehicle Accidents

Chicago Attorneys Representing Truck Crash Victims

Commercial drivers, such as those operating delivery vehicles, must exercise caution when maneuvering these massive trucks. The size and weight of these vehicles may lead to serious injuries to others on the road, including other drivers, passengers, and pedestrians. At Katz, Friedman, Eagle, Eisenstein, Johnson & Bareck, our skilled Chicago truck accident lawyers advocate on behalf of motor vehicle collision victims. We have assisted injured people and their families with seeking justice against careless truck drivers and delivery companies.

Pursuing Damages Through a Personal Injury Claim After a Delivery Vehicle Accident

Following a truck accident involving a delivery vehicle, victims may suffer severe losses, including large medical bills and missed wages from work. Pursuing a personal injury claim to recover compensation for losses after a delivery vehicle accident may help alleviate the financial and emotional consequences of a collision. The foundation of a claim against a delivery truck driver may be negligence, which is the legal term for carelessness. Driver error causes countless delivery truck accidents, and if a driver breaches their duty of care, directly causing an accident and injuries, they may be held accountable.

In some situations, a delivery truck driver may have violated a federal law or regulation, and this violation may have caused the accident. For example, laws dictate how to properly inspect and maintain commercial trucks, and if the driver did not abide by these laws, a victim may bring a lawsuit under the theory of negligence per se. Negligence would be inferred by the violation of a safety law, provided that the victim was a member of the group of people whom the law was intended to protect, and the violation directly caused the accident.

Injured individuals can also potentially pursue a claim against the delivery truck company under the legal theories of vicarious liability or negligent hiring. Even when the company did nothing wrong, under vicarious liability, the company may be held legally accountable if the employee caused the accident in the course and scope of employment. Negligent hiring would be an appropriate allegation if the company hired a delivery truck driver with a record of careless or illegal conduct. This is because a company owes the public a duty to train and supervise drivers.

If a victim has demonstrated the legal fault of the driver or trucking company, they may recover damages for their harm. Truck accident claims for compensation tend to be larger than for ordinary car accident claims, since trucks are heavier than passenger cars, and injuries tend to be more serious. Additionally, truck companies are insured by commercial insurers and tend to carry higher coverage limits than private passenger vehicles. By documenting all of their medical treatment needs, including those for future care, victims may collect for the full impact of their treatment. Victims should also prove past and future lost earnings stemming from injury-related physical disabilities. These may be collected, as may compensation for pain and suffering and any lost quality of life following a delivery vehicle accident.

Contact a Skilled Truck Accident Lawyer in the Chicago Area

Delivery vehicles may inflict serious bodily harm and cause catastrophic property damage. Drivers and truck companies should be held accountable when an injury occurs as a result of their negligence. At Katz, Friedman, Eagle, Eisenstein, Johnson & Bareck, our motor vehicle collision attorneys can help if you or someone close to you has been involved in a delivery vehicle accident. We are also committed to helping victims in Quincy, Springfield, Champaign, Aurora, and other areas of Kane, Sangamon, Cook, Champaign, Winnebago, and Adams Counties. To set up a free consultation, call our office at (800) 444-1525 or contact us online.

We serve clients throughout Illinois including, but not limited to, those in the following localities: Cook County including Chicago and Lansing; Adams County including Quincy; Champaign County including Champaign; Coles County including Charleston; DeKalb County including DeKalb; Edgar County including Paris; Effingham County including Effingham; Jefferson County including Mount Vernon; Kane County including Aurora and Elgin; McHenry County including Woodstock; Sangamon County including Springfield; Tazewell County including Pekin; Vermilion County including Danville; Will County including Bolingbrook; and Winnebago County including Rockford.